Hydra Beer Co. stops brewing, looks for buyer

Chad Petit said he and partner Nick Murphy have started different careers and are operating Hydra as a taproom, selling other craft beers.

“We’re ready to move on to new things,” said Petit, who’s now a real estate agent with Re/Max. “It’s probably something I should have done a long time ago.”

They’ve had the business — its equipment, recipes and brand — on and off the market for about four months as they’ve worked with prospective buyers.

As for the future of Hydra if a buyer doesn’t materialize, “we’re playing it by ear,” Petit said. “If it continues to pay the bills, pay the staff, we would keep it going as a taproom.”

Hydra opened its brewery and taproom in December 2015 in a retail center at 2425 S. Shirley Ave. near Century movie theater. It opened a second taproom in October 2017 in downtown, but that location closed a year later.